This is What Saved Me from Postpartum Depression!

This One Practice Shifted My Mindset and Restored My Joy...

There was a time in my life when everything felt dark.

I was deep in postpartum depression, even though I was holding my precious baby in my arms.

When my husband brought her to me, it felt strange, almost like I was holding someone else’s child.

I had a rough pregnancy, and towards the end, things got worse. I developed severe preeclampsia that wasn’t properly managed, and during labor, I temporarily lost my sight. I went into the hospital because my sight was deteriorating and before I could understand what was happening, they wheeled me into the operating room for an emergency C-section.

You know those videos online of moms bonding instantly and doing skin-to-skin with their babies? That wasn’t me. I was in so much pain, still dealing with preeclampsia symptoms weeks after giving birth. I ended up back in the hospital a few hours before my baby’s naming ceremony, and we had to cancel it.

I remember feeling so traumatized and disappointed as I had seen friends have smooth pregnancies and easy labors. I had watched videos of women dancing on TikTok a few hours before giving birth and I thought that would be my reality.

But it wasn’t and everything hit me all at once.

At first, I thought it was just “baby blues.” From what I had read, that should pass within two weeks. But mine didn’t.

Instead, it got worse.

At my six-week check-up, my doctor diagnosed me with postpartum depression. The mood swings intensified, and I experienced deep sadness.

Nighttime became my worst nightmare, and my heart would race as darkness approached. My mind was filled with intrusive thoughts: falling down the stairs so I could end up in the hospital or running away and never returning.

I felt so ashamed to talk about it with anyone because I had a gift that so many people prayed for, yet I was depressed.

When visitors came and saw me break down in tears, I often heard, “Be grateful. You have a child and so many people are praying for this.” Others assumed I was crying because of my excessive weight gain. For context, I gained over 40 kg during my pregnancy.

During that season, I couldn’t pray.

I tried, but God felt so far away.

Anxiety consumed me and although I was exhausted, it would take about two to three hours to fall asleep, and only with the help of rain sounds.

I dealt with heart palpitations, high blood pressure, and lingering preeclampsia symptoms.

I would call my husband to pray over me sometimes, and that would also calm me down.

Then one day, something happened that changed everything…

As I lay down, playing my usual rain sounds, I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Give thanks.”

It didn’t make sense, but I heard it clearly.

Of course, I didn’t have the strength to say the words out loud, so I decided to write them instead and that’s how my gratitude journal began.

I started small, with about three or four things I was thankful for each day, and day by day, something began to shift.

As I gave thanks, my perspective changed, and I started to feel lighter and the heavy cloud that hovered over me began to lift.

I cried less and the mood swings became less intense and slowly, I found the strength to pray again.

My doctor had recommended medication to help with the depression, but I chose not to take it and over time, through gratitude, lots of sleep, crazy support from my husband, and God’s help, depression lost its grip over me.

My perspective shifted and I began to enjoy motherhood.

I started to see it as a blessing to be my daughter’s mom and to serve my family in that season.

I am writing this to encourage you to flip the script.

You might be in a HARD season right now, where everything feels dark and you are not quite sure if you will survive this.

You may feel seriously discouraged, overwhelmed, or even hopeless.

But there is always hope in Christ for the Believer.

I want you to start small.

Find one or two things you are grateful for today and write them down. Then do it again tomorrow, and the day after, and keep at it for months.

Watch what happens.

Your perspective will begin to shift, and watch your Joy return.

Even the Bible admonishes us, in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, to
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Flip the script today and start a gratitude journal.